THE PRESIDENT: I nominated a very good man from
Mississippi named Charles Pickering to the appellate bench, and I
expect him to be confirmed by the United States Senate. I
think the country is tired of people playing politics all the time in
Washington. And I believe that they're holding this man's
nomination up for political purposes. It's not fair, and
it's not right.

And a lot of people in Mississippi agree with
me. Republicans agree with me, but so do a lot of good
Democrats, starting with the Attorney General of the state of
Mississippi. He is here to lend his support for Charles
Pickering. As well, the former Governor, Governor Winter has
expressed concern about a process that would malign a man such as him,
and expects him to be confirmed. Frank Hunger feels the same
way.

These are people in Mississippi who know the man for what he is, a
man who respects the rights of all citizens, and a man who not only
respects the rights of all citizens, who has acted on that strong
belief. A man who's a fine jurist; a man of quality and
integrity.

And I hope the Senate stops playing politics. This is
not good for the Senate, and it's not good for the
country. They've got to get him on the floor and get him a
vote and get him in. He'll do a fine job.

Q Can we ask you a couple questions about his nomination,
sir?

THE PRESIDENT: Go ahead.

Q Do you agree with your Press Secretary that if the Judge's
writings and actions of 30 -- 20, 30, 40 years
ago should come into play, then so should the civil rights record of
some of the very senators of 30, 40 years ago? And is that a
threat?

THE PRESIDENT: Here's what I believe. I
believe this man should be confirmed. I know
him -- I've known him for a long
time. But more importantly, people from Mississippi have
known him. Democrats and Republicans know
him. And he needs to be confirmed, Ron. This is a
good, good, honorable citizen, and they're playing politics with him up
there.

Q Did you support in 1950 --

THE PRESIDENT: Hold on --

Q Mr. President, you describe this as playing politics. But
many Democrats believe there are serious civil rights issued involved;
among them that when he was a member of the State Senate, Mr. Pickering
voted twice to support the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission, which
was a segregationist spy agency, recognized by the state.

THE PRESIDENT: All the allegations have been laid
out. He has been confirmed unanimously by the United States
Senate in the past. This is a good, honorable man, who
should be approved by the United States Senate. Otherwise we
wouldn't have a Democrat Attorney General, a very popular former
governor, Al Gore's brother-in-law, all of whom have stood up and said,
the man needs to be confirmed.